Lori Enlow's Blog (182)

This race is directed by Chrissy Ferguson. Need I say more? She is a powerhouse and puts on top notch events. The MANY volunteers were awesome. The weather was extremely challenging, with almost constant rain, very heavy at times, wind, and temps in the low 50s. I don’t know how they kept from freezing to death waiting…

Sitting at Grouse aid station, mile 59, I see that line again. I see it in front of me, kinda like a mirage. Imaginary, but real, tangible but elusive. Like the end of a rainbow or the floating heat waves off of a hot highway. You squint to see it clearer, drawn to it. You want to chase it, touch…

This was a “training through” race. My big race is Bighorn 100 in 4 weeks. The goal was to have really good focus in this race, to do well, but not go out too hard and have to recover much in the days following the race. I need to be able to put in another week of high mileage, quality work for Bighorn after…

Tulsa Area Trail and Ultra Runner’s (TATUR) Snake Run is timed event. There is a 3 hour and 6 hour division. The goals is to run as many miles, all on single track trail, as you can in the time allowed. The course is a 3.75ish loop, with 1 smaller 0.5 mile optional loop to run around. The course is relatively…

This race takes place in the North Phoenix community of Cave Creek. Flagstaff has already cooled down to evening temps in the 40s, so the car’s outside temperature reading of 90 as we rolled into the area made me a bit nervous. I had also downed a yummy frozen custard treat about an hour before that was now making me a bit nauseated.

We arrived a bit early, so I took off to do a little pre race warm up. My goal race is now The North Face Endurance…

Yup, I'm gonna do it. I'm going to Giants. Tor Des Geants, that is. It's a 200+ mile race following the Alta Via 1 and Alta Via 2 around the Italian Alps. There will be 24,000 meters/78,000 ft of climbing...and descending. It is a single stage race, meaning there is no designated down time for rest. You rest as much or as little as you need, but the race goes on. We have 150 hours to complete the course. There will be "life bases" every 30 ish miles with cots and showers and hot food.…

I’ve been running for years, (like 23 of them), but only started my true love affair with running 4-5 years ago when I sought Eric Orton to coach me to my first ultra marathon. At that time I didn’t “love” running. I ran for years for fitness and to keep my weight in check. I do not look like the lean female…

Having never been to San Francisco, I can’t imagine a better way to see it for the first time than running across 50 miles along the….ahem...Northern California coast line. I would be staying with friends and had intended to drive from home in Arizona. In my brain, which has long since looked at the state of…

I know it’s a normal post big race phenomenon that occurs in most ultra runners. For most it’s a bit of a lull, a mild depression for some. Finishing something so big….then what? For me all of the race sensations and feelings start flooding in. Vivid Images of the midnight moon during the race, so much clearer than I remember. Feeling the rocks against my hands as I climbed in pain with back spasms. Seeing the details in the trees and trail. All warm, vivid, alive detailed memories and feelings… Continue

I had no plans to do a 100 this year. 2 years of Leadville training and finishes, kinda finished me on the hundred mi distance for what I felt like would be a year or two. Last year my goal was to complete all of the US Skyrunning Ultra races. I did all but one, mostly high altitude, all very difficult courses. I fell in love with mountains and the 50 -100k…

Next race is 9/26/15….Mogollan Monster 100 miler. Until going to Eric’s Mountain Running Academy in July, I had not planned to do (or trained for) a 100 mile race this year. One of my dream races is the Hardrock 100, and watching the race unfold this year just made that desire burn deeper. You have to qualify to get into Hardrock, and there are only a few races left this year that qualify. Not only that, but applicants are chosen by lottery, meaning that even if you have a qualifying race you… Continue

This race takes place North of Utah’s Zion and Bryce canyons, in the seemingly remote and beautiful Tushar Mts. I had never heard of this range prior to signing up. I completed most of the US Skyrunning ultra races last year and fell in love with racing these types of courses. I have had the opportunity to see more and cover more terrain in 1 day than most will see in a lifetime. I am blessed. Because of the love and support of my husband and children I made it to this…

Big race on the horizon! Tushars 93k in Utah. 93k of mountain running. 16,800 ft of climbing and the same amount of descending, the most I’ve ever done at that distance at altitude-- mostly around 10,000-12,000ft. It is still hard to believe a little over 4 years
ago I ran my first half marathon at age 39. I signed up for coaching with Eric Orton to train for a 50 mile race soon after, a friend suckered me into it! During training for that 50 mile flat, urban trail run I ran my first “real… Continue

I was feeling really good going into this race. Very nervous, but good. This would be my first race of the year, my first race after a few months of living and training at higher elevation. I was anxious to see how my racing would change, if I would feel different. I remember thinking when I ran Leadville in 2012, “someday I want to be able to run UP mountains” I was frustrated because all of my uphill “running” in the mountains reduced me to a slow hike. I could not…

I read another article on a former Olympic elite runner,young, in her early 50s I believe, hanging up her racing shoes because she is no longer the fastest. Still running splits most women...and men will never see on the time clock. Her body to some extent, but more evident, her spirit broken. The joy of running and racing gone Because the results were no longer there. I hope to run in a way that I never lose the joy of running AND racing. When I can no longer run, I will walk. When I can no… Continue

Running your heart out just does something to the spirit. Life is funnier, the heart is lighter and more loving and understanding and waaaay less serious. It strips everything away...for a time...but the cool impossible thing is the more I do it, the more stripped away I stay. The lighter I am, the more loving I am.

Inspiration….we all look for it. As runners, I think it is safe to say we not only need it, but desire to inspire others as well. Social media is a great avenue to inspire, but it often paints only a partial picture...mostly of the successes, the most beautiful of all the
pictures, the highlights, the high points, the PRs. That’s one reason I think this website is so valuable. Through this venue runners are able to find advice and confide in the not so pretty struggles we all… Continue